David Hume and the finances of James I

Abstract

David Hume and the finances of James I. This paper examines David Hume’s analysis, conducted in his book History of England, of the struggle between parliament and King James I over the Crown finances during the first quarter of the seventeenth century. Initially, it presents the main political elements behind the quarrel played out in the heart of England’s political power, followed by the Scottish writer’s comments on the royal finances, with emphasis on his views about the Crown receipts and expenditures during James’s I reign. In the end, the long run determinants of the parliamentary resistance to regal power identified by Hume are retrieved.

JEL Classification: B11; B31, N4.